Page 69 of The Blood that Binds Us

“Don’t be a fucking asshole. I’m leaving.” I turn and take a step away from him when he grabs my elbow and jerks me back towards him.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growls, all friendliness gone from his eyes. “Not until I release you.”

“No onereleasesme. Not even a pompous Langston prick,” I spit.

Rage twists his face into something monstrous, and he strikes me with the back of his hand. I grab my cheek instinctively, and when I lower it, I’m certain my face more than matches the anger on his.

“How dare you speak to a lord like that. It seems you needed to be reminded of yourplace.A low-born girl from Innodellrefusinga Langston? I can’t say I’ve experienced it before, but I can certainly think of a punishment on the spot.”

I don’t hesitate. I let the heat tunnel through my veins as it rushes from the valve I keep tightly sealed and into my palms. With a feral yell, I throw my hands against his chest and burn him in the process. He topples backwards, letting out a few curses unfit for a lady’s ears.

But I’m not a lady, and he’s certainly not a godsdamned man.

Bennett regains his footing and saunters towards me, licking his lips and sliding a hand into his now unfastened pants. “You’re going to regret that now, bitch.”

I ready myself with another surge of magic, ready to blast him harder and farther into the woods this time, restraint be damned.No one touches me. Especially not a mundane asshole on a power trip.

He lets out a low, dark chuckle. “I would have made sure you enjoyed yourself. But now… now I think I’ll make you scream for other reasons. Don’t even think of trying that again if you ever want to see the outside of a cell again.”

A loud roar splits the night, and a symphony of snapping branches crescendos towards us. Bennett instinctively reaches for the sword absent from his formal wear, fear molding his face as his hand swipes for his phantom weapon. I throw my hands out with a defensive ward sprung between them just as the final bushes between us anditpart, and the sound rattling from its chest heightens to a high-pitched wail.

The transcendent leaps from between two trees, its powerful paws stampeding into Bennett’s chest, and tackles him to the ground in one experienced maneuver. Bennett rakes his fingers through the mud as he scurries himself backwards, eyes wide and panicked, staring into the face of the snarling beast. It paces before him, never taking its eyes off Bennett, never turning to acknowledge me.

The animal is long and sinewy with four muscled legs and fur the color of midnight. It holds its large head low as it prowls towards Bennett, who now spews promises to leave transcendents alone, a desperate attempt for mercy as he finds himself weaponless and too spineless to face death. Its ears are short and slightly rounded at the tips, and the shape of its skeleton is almost feline. Bennett looks at me with eyes wide as small dinner plates, then looks between the transcendent and me.

He's gauging the distance.

While the black furred beast slowly closes the gap between them, Bennett is debating turning tail and running. Hoping it will go for the easier prey—the woman who hasn’t yet run away while its back is turned.

He doesn’t know I’m the deadliest creature in these woods.

Bennett scrambles to his feet and slowly bends at the waist, sliding his hand under his pant leg and pulling out a knife with a six-inch blade. The feline flicks its head with a rattled growl, daring him to pull the weapon on him. Bennett looks to me again, and for a moment, I think he is going to toss me the knife, to give me some means to defend myself before he flees.

I was wrong.

While I may be the deadliest predator in these trees, Bennett is the weakest—of mind, heart, and soul—and he darts through the woods like a freshly sprung arrow.

The Langstons don’t view transcendents as people, but rather as inhumane monsters who rely on instinct alone, so surely it will turn and attack the easier prey, the one just standing here out in the open.

But I know better.

Bennett takes off running without so much as bidding me a second glance. I make no move to stop the transcendent as it pulls its lips back in a snarl and leaps after him, burying its impressive claws into Bennett’s back. He hits the ground face first, rolls onto his back, and comes face-to-face with the beast. Saliva drips from its jowls, and its lips quiver as the transcendent lets out a low, guttural growl.

Bennett buries the knife into its side, and the raven-furred animal yowls when it makes contact but doesn’t take so much as a step backwards. Instead, it opens its jaws in an ear-splitting roar.

I don’t wince as it sinks its teeth into Bennett’s neck and shakes with lethal ferocity. When Bennett goes limp, lying crumpled in a pool of crimson regret, the predator drops its prey and huffs over its kill. It still doesn’t turn to look at me, but it knows I’m here. I lower into a crouch with my magic still simmering in my hands, waiting to see how it reacts now that its first target is dealt with. This isn’t just a transcendent—it’s a transcendent that managed to get inside the castle gates of its most hated enemy.

This kill was personal.

I eye the knife protruding from its side and can’t help but wonder if Bennett would have tried to threaten me with it had I kept fighting him. The wound will be easy enough for the transcendent to heal in its human state, but shifting back around the knife will be incredibly painful. I take one measured step towards it. Its ears flicker at my movement.

“Are you alright?” I ask, my voice coming out breathier than I intended.

Its hunched shoulders seem to tighten farther at my voice, but it still doesn’t turn to look at me.

I take a second careful step. “I can pull it out. It’ll hurt, but it will be worse if you try to shift around the blade.”

I wait for some sign of acknowledgment, but not a muscle twitches along its long, muscular body. I reach towards its unwounded side, willing my hand not to shake, and gently press my fingertips against its short, sleek coat. When it doesn’t recoil at my touch, I press my palm into its black fur, noting the deep shades of blue illuminated in the moonlight. Very carefully, I slide my palm across its side.

---